Mayor warns of 'challenge' in Braintree school budget

Mayor Joseph Sullivan is warning of “a real challenge” ahead as officials prepare to balance funding requests from school administrators with the cost of opening a new kindergarten center.

Neal Simpson The Patriot Ledger @nsimpson_ledger

BRAINTREE – Mayor Joseph Sullivan is warning of "a real challenge" ahead as officials try to balance funding requests from school administrators with the cost of opening a new kindergarten center.The center, which will house all half-day and most-full day kindergarten classes starting next fall, is expected to cost around $650,000 a year to operate. At the same time, school officials do not yet know how much money they'll have to address administrators' requests for additional teachers elsewhere in town.

"We have a significant challenge financially this year as we look to bring Monatiquot online," Sullivan said Monday night after school committee members questioned academic department heads about funding priorities.

Officials decided last year to move kindergarten classes into the Monatiquot building to free up classrooms at Braintree's increasingly crowded schools, but the move also comes with increased operating costs. In addition to classroom teachers, the new center will be overseen by an administrator and staffed with a nurse.

Despite the new costs, some school committee members were said they were hopeful that they'd be able to support other requests.

"I just hope that, as a district, we continue to move forward and are able to meet some of these priorities," said committee member Lisa Heger.

Superintendent Maureen Murray is expected to review administrators' funding requests and present an overview of next year's proposed budget at the Feb. 24 school committee meeting. The committee will begin discussing the superintendent's budget March 10.

The committee voted Monday night to award a $149,300 contract for the replacement of high school gymnasium bleachers and a $127,900 contract to replace 500 door locks, mostly for classrooms. Both contracts went to Paul J. Rogan Co. Inc. of Braintree.

Contact Neal Simpson at nesimpson@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @NSimpson_Ledger.